Anne with an E: The Importance of Representation in Historical Media
It has been more than a few years since the CBC/Netflix series Anne with an E, a reimagining of the Lucy Maud Montgomery 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables, has been canceled. However, the show’s impact on me and many other fans have continued to hold.
The Canadian series premiered in March 2017 and after two years of running with 3 seasons, the CBC and Netflix announced its cancellation in 2019. In response, many fans voiced their opinions on the show, particularly about its representation. Overall, fans praised the series for tackling issues from the past that are still relevant today, such as LGBTQ+ rights, misogyny, settler colonialism and Indigenous rights, racism and slavery, and more. This is not only shown through comments from fans but also statements from one of the executive producers, Miranda DePencier, saying: “There's no sense in reinventing a classic novel if you're not going to make it relevant for today's audience." Geraldine James, a key actress in the series, said in an interview that everything written by Moira Walley-Beckett, the screenwriter, is honest to the world the series portrays (late 19th-century Canada) and reimagines it “in that time, looking at it from this time.”
With the series technically being an adaptation of the 1908 classic novel, not everyone was pleased with this diversion from the original text. With the discourse surrounding the series and its diversion from the original, discussions can be raised about the importance of representation in adaptations, particularly in historical/period media.
When representation is discussed, it is generally about the benefits for those watching and overall focusing on our present and future. By depicting the struggles of marginalized groups, media can provide representation to those watching and overall include them in media where they have been excluded. For example, Anne with an E’s depiction of LGBTQ+ rights and sexuality through the experiences of the character Cole touched viewers and told a story of struggling to find a place in society because of sexuality that many can relate to. Another example is the experiences of the character Sebastian, a Black man from Trinidad. Sebastian’s experience with racism shows how it has impacted every area of life; from his interactions with other characters (who are mostly white), his relationship with his family and friends, and overall an accurate depiction of intergenerational trauma. From these examples alone, it is clear that the series has depicted the experience of many people and provided representation for them on-screen.
However, for a historical show in particular, the show received some backlash for inserting “modern” issues into a series set in the late 19th century, leading to why representation is so important for historical media. Representation is important not only for those watching in the present. It is also important to include the experiences of marginalized people in historical media to include them in the historical canon they have been erased from. By depicting issues like settler colonialism, sexism, and racism, the series not only provides a representation of present issues but also issues of the past; experiences of marginalized people with these issues have been ignored. In Geraldine James’ words, “based absolutely on the truth of the time.”
So although some may argue that Anne with an E has made the beloved Canadian classic of Anne of Green Gables political and ask the question, “is this necessary,” the answer is clear. Representation in general is important, including and especially in historical media.
Cover Photo courtesy of Netflix. Edited by Santiago Moran-Izquierdo.
